"I started making charabens (character lunch boxes) in 2011, when my first-born entered elementary school," Ming told Mashable in an email. "He was not used to the longer hours and missed me then. He would cry when I sent him to school everyday. I started making charabens, and packed them along with lunch notes, to cheer him up, giving him something to look forward to during recess."

While Ming's charabens are amazingly intricate, she says designing the meals is a casual and fun experience rather than a stressful one.

"I have a habit of noting down whatever inspirations I have on the notes of my handphone," she said. "Every week, while planning our meals and grocery shopping, I just take a look at the list and choose what I want to make from there."

Ming's Bento Monsters are just a hobby and she has no plans to create a business out of them, though she has published a photo book of her best works.

Ming's sons enjoy their special meals, though the excitement seems to have worn off over the years.

"They are no longer as excited as when I just started," Ming said. "They still like to see and guess what I’m making when I’m done, and if it’s a character they like, they would play with the food (arrange the character) before they eat."

As the boys have gotten older, Ming has scaled back a bit on the number of creative meals she makes for them.

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